KC's Crown Center Announces Events, June 2012-Aug 2013

Crown Center has announced its schedule of events for June 2012 through August 2013, including events from the Coterie Theatre, American Heartland Theatre, Musical Theatre Heritage, and much more. See details below.

Crown Center's summer season is officially underway with the opening of the Jiggle Jam Family Festival and the Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice exhibit. Those are just two of the many activities highlighted in its 2012 summer media guide, which is now available for download at CrownCenter.com/Summer2012.

The guide includes information about all of Crown Center's scheduled events, including Friday Night Concerts, theatre performances and festivals. The center also has a summer microsite at Summer.CrownCenter.com.

Located on the southern edge of downtown Kansas City, Crown Center offers fine hotels, entertainment, dining, shopping, offices and residential living. Home to the international headquarters of Hallmark Cards, Inc., the complex attracts more than five million visitors each year.

May 4 - June 17"As Long As We Both Shall Live"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. A world premiere. Addison Ashe is smart. Like, insanely smart. She aced the SAT, mastered psychology, quantum and auto mechanics, mixed martial arts, yodeling and more-all in a matter of weeks. Despite all that, she's never had too much luck with guys...until now! She's set to marry the man of her dreams, but mysterious murders threaten to cancel their nuptials. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

May 26 - September 9Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice™

Crown Center Shops, Level 1 Showplace. Created by the Minnesota Children's Museum, this interactive traveling exhibit transports visitors back in time to when the dinosaurs last roamed the land, 70 million years ago. Encounter realistic, fully touchable dinosaurs, including a Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. At the Big Dig, children unearth fossils and identify them in the Field Research Station. See a smoldering volcano, dinosaur puzzles, an "icy" slide and prehistoric cave. At the photo kiosk, visitors can take a photo with a dinosaur and email a digital postcard to family and friends. The exhibit is open during Crown Center Shops regular shopping hours. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. No admission fee. 816-274-8444.

June 2Screenland Slams- "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory"

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Sit back and laugh as three comics tear into the 1971 classic "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only live, local and suited for an 18+ crowd. Showtime is 9 p.m. $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 816-545-8034 or ScreenlandSlams.com.

June 4Musical Theater Heritage's Musical Monday

Off Center Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. An impromptu evening of musical theater hosted by Missy Koonce, featuring KC's finest actors and singers. You never know who will show up, and you never know what songs will be sung, but it's a sure to be a great time. Reservations required. 816-221-6987 or MTHKC.com.

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. Control-freak Queen Aggravain chases off her son's chances of finding a princess by creating unbeatable tests. Along comes klutzy Princess Winnifred (who swims the moat from the swamp) to set the Prince's heart aflame. So, the Queen plans her most difficult challenge yet. The palace is filled with merriment and mischief while everyone wonders if Princess "Fred" will pass the Queen's test. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Part of the Coterie's Family Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

June 22Dinner & A Movie- "Gone With the Wind"

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Milano and Screenland Crown Center present "Dinner & A Movie" once each month. The package includes movie tickets and fountain drinks, preceded by a five-course small plate dinner at Milano. Dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed by the movie at 8 p.m. $65 per couple or $32.50 for one person. Movie-only tickets are $8. 816-545-8034 or Screenland.com.

June 22-24Fiesta Kansas City

Crown Center Square. Celebrate Hispanic culture at this 13th annual event, which features great music, food, dancing and exhibits. Sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. No admission fee until 4 p.m. After 4 p.m., admission is $5 or $12 for a 3-day pass. No admission fee for kids age 10 and under with a paid admission. Festival hours: Friday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Check FiestaKansasCity.com or call 816-472-6767 for more information.

July 6, 13, 20, 27Friday Night Flicks

Crown Center Square. Bring your blanket and lawn chairs, sit under the stars and take in a classic movie on a huge outdoor screen. This summer's lineup: Moneyball (July 6), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (July 13), Hitch (July 20), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (July 27). No admission fee. Concessions will be available. Movies begin at approximately 9 p.m. 816-274-8444.

July 6 - August 19"Bingo! The Winning Musical"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. A Kansas City premiere. Come meet Vern, Honey and Patsy: three pals who weather a terrible storm to play their weekly obsession-bingo. Between number calling, strange good-luck rituals and fierce competition, love blossoms and long-lost friends reunite! 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Sit back and laugh as three comics tear into Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic ,"The Birds." It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only live, local and suited for an 18+ crowd. Showtime is 9 p.m. $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 816-545-8034 or ScreenlandSlams.com.

July 30Musical Theater Heritage's Musical Monday

Off Center Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. An impromptu evening of musical theater hosted by Tim Scott, featuring KC's finest actors and singers. You never know who will show up, and you never know what songs will be sung, but it's a sure to be a great time. Reservations required. 816-221-6987 or MTHKC.com.

Crown Center Square. With twelve platinum albums under his belt, Kenny Loggins' big hits include "Footloose," "I'm Alright," "Danger Zone," "Conviction of the Heart," and "Danny's Song." Admission is $5, at the gate. All seating is general admission. Show begins at 8 p.m., rain or shine. 816-274-8444.

August 4Clown Show

Crown Center Shops, Level 1 Atrium. Bring the kids to see a special stage performance by area clowns. 12 p.m. No admission fee. 816-274-8444.

August 4Screenland Slams- "Legend"

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Sit back and laugh as three comics tear into Ridley Scott's 1985 film, "Legend." It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only live, local and suited for an 18+ crowd. Showtime is 9 p.m. $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 816-545-8034 or ScreenlandSlams.com.

August 9-26"The Music Man"

Off Center Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. Presented by Musical Theater Heritage. Winner of five Tony Awards, this famous musical follows con man Harold Hill, who aims to swindle the town of River City, Iowa. But his scheme could go awry when he falls for Marian Paroo, the town librarian and piano teacher. 816-842-9999 or MTHKC.com.

August 10Friday Night Concert- Diamond Rio

Crown Center Square. Diamond Rio has amassed 13 Grammy Award nominations, culminating with their first Grammy in 2011 for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album for "The Reason." They've won the Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year award four times. Admission is $5, at the gate. All seating is general admission. Show begins at 8 p.m., rain or shine. 816-274-8444.

August 31 - September 2Kansas City Irish Fest

Crown Center Square and Off Center Theatre. Commemorate Kansas City's proud Celtic heritage with three days of music, dancing and exhibits. The festival will feature more than two dozen locally and nationally known bands, playing traditional music and Celtic rock. Off Center Theatre will host Irish comics. $5 Friday tickets. $10 advance Saturday or Sunday tickets, $15 at the gate on Saturday/Sunday, $25 advance three-day tickets. Festival hours: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. 816-997-0837 or KCIrishFest.com.

September 6-30"Spring Awakening"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. This Coterie At Night production celebrates 20 years of protecting teens through the Coterie's award-winning Dramatic Health Education Project. With its affecting score, raging choreography and magnetic young cast, this show goes back in time to explore what's changed (and what hasn't) on the path to understanding sex. Coterie At Night Series. No one under 13 admitted. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

September 7 - October 21"Making God Laugh"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. Home is where the heart is, and also where the laughs are! Empty nesters welcome their children home for the holidays over a period of thirty years. Family traditions are rekindled, dubious recipes are resurrected, dreams are reevaluated, ancient tensions flare and comedy abounds during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. A Kansas City premiere by Sean Grennan. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

September 8-9Kansas City Chalk & Walk Festival

Crown Center Square. Artists start with empty squares of asphalt and by the end of the weekend, these squares will be transformed into magnificent pieces of artwork. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. No admission fee. Visit KCChalkAndWalk.org for more information. 816-274-8444.

September 10Musical Theater Heritage's Musical Monday

Off Center Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. An impromptu evening of musical theater hosted by Tim Scott, featuring KC's finest actors and singers. You never know who will show up, and you never know what songs will be sung, but it's a sure to be a great time. Reservations required. 816-221-6987 or MTHKC.com.

September 12-30"Dear America: Across The Wide and Lonesome Prairie"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. Young Hattie Campbell and her friend Pepper travel in 1847 from Independence, Missouri, across the Oregon Trail with hopeful hearts. Crossing the rough prairies and rigorous mountains, the girls share joyful events and sobering realities. A fine glimpse of history on a human scale. Part of the Coterie's Elementary/Family Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

October 6Screenland Slams- "I Know Who Killed Me"

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Sit back and laugh as three comics tear into 2007's "I Know Who Killed Me." It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only live, local and suited for an 18+ crowd. Showtime is 9 p.m. $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 816-545-8034 or ScreenlandSlams.com.

October 30 - December 30"SHREK The Musical"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. Shrek is the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey, a feisty princess and a cast of fairy tale misfits. It's a story of adventure, friendship and ogre love that's bringing ugly back! Part of the Coterie's Elementary/Family Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

November 2 - December 23"Nuncrackers - The Nunsense Christmas Musical"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. With the winnings from Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, the Sisters of Mount St. Helens are on the verge of taping their first-ever Christmas TV special! And nothing goes as planned, resulting in an uproariously funny spoof of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet, zany renditions of classic Christmas carols, a send-up of The Village People, a Catholic home shopping network, and more! Starring Debra Bluford and Kenny Remmert. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

November 3Screenland Slams- "Tremors"

Screenland Crown Center, Level 3. Sit back and laugh as three comics tear into Kevin Bacon's "Tremors." It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only live, local and suited for an 18+ crowd. Showtime is 9 p.m. $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 816-545-8034 or ScreenlandSlams.com.

November 19Musical Theater Heritage's Musical Monday

Off Center Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. An impromptu evening of musical theater hosted by Tim Scott, featuring KC's finest actors and singers. You never know who will show up, and you never know what songs will be sung, but it's a sure to be a great time. Reservations required. 816-221-6987 or MTHKC.com.

Weekday Holiday ChoirsCrown Center Shops, Level 1 Atrium. Beautiful music fills the halls of Crown Center, as more than 130 area school, church and community choirs perform during weekday lunch hours and weekday evenings. No admission fee. 816-274-8444 or CrownCenter.com/Choirs.

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. A wildly funny adaptation of the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story of mystery and suspense. An ancient family curse, a spectral hound and a deranged killer on the loose. One after another, the male heirs of the Baskerville family are being knocked off. Sherlock Holmes, the "greatest detective of all time", sends Dr. Watson to the countryside in order to prevent more bloodshed, and naturally, mayhem of various kinds ensues. A Kansas City premiere. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

January 22 - February 21, 2013"Number The Stars"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. Based on the Newbery Medal winning book by Lois Lowry. During World War II, the Johansen family faces soldiers, interrogations, fierce dogs and the loss of loved ones to help their neighbors, the Rosens, escape across the ocean to safety in Sweden. Based on true actions during the Holocaust. Part of the Coterie's Preteen Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

February 23 - March 10, 2013"Tell-Tale Electric Poe"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. One actor and one musician performing Poe stories and poems with musical lines and retorts from a reactive electric guitar! Horrifying and humorous, this sublime creation blends old with new, and includes three famous Poe poems and two short stories dramatized ("Pit and the Pendulum," "Tell-Tale Heart"). Part of the Coterie's Preteen Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

March 8 - April 21, 2013"Life Could Be A Dream"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. In a time before "American Idol", The Crooning Crabcakes enter the talent search hosted by the Big Whopper Radio competition in hopes of realizing their dreams of making it to the big time. Trouble comes in the form of Lois, who arrives to put some polish on the group-and hilarious heartaches ensue! Featuring "Stay" (just a Little Bit Longer), "Earth Angel," "Unchained Melody," "Only You," and more than 20 other doo-wop hits. A Kansas City premiere. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

April 9 - May 24, 2013"Bud, Not Buddy"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. It's the Great Depression, and times could be hard for Bud after the loss of his mother. But nothing can stop Bud (not "Buddy") from finding the man he believes to be his father-jazz composer and musicIan Herman E. Calloway. Part of the Coterie's Elementary/Family Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

May 10 - June 23, 2013"Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. Miss Abigail, the most sought-after relationship expert to the stars (think Dr. Ruth meets Emily Post), and her scrumptious sidekick, Paco, share with you their outrageously funny advice and "how-to's" on dating, mating and marriage! Learn a thing or two ... like how to have a perfect kiss (it's all about lip position)...what you should and should not talk about on a date (don't mention your troll doll collection)...and how to let a man think he wears the pants. You'll be laughing about love all night long! A Kansas City premiere. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.

June 18 - August 4, 2013"Lyle the Crocodile"

The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 1. What a croc! Loveable Lyle livens up a summer's day. The Primm family is surprised to find a crocodile in the tub. The multi-talented Lyle quickly becomes part of the family, but a nasty neighbor, Mr. Grumps, has it out for the reptile. Part of the Coterie's Elementary/Family Series. 816-474-6552 or CoterieTheatre.org.

July 12 - August 25, 2013"The Bikinis - A New Beach Party Musical"

American Heartland Theatre, Crown Center Shops, Level 3. Back together after 20 years - four best friends are bringing back the sun, fun and all the great songs they sang down on the boardwalk...all to raise money for the good folks at Sandy Shores on Florida's Gold Coast. Filled with such hits as "It's In His Kiss", "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", "Heat Wave", "Under the Boardwalk", "These Boots are made for Walking", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "When Will I Be Loved", "I Will Survive", "It's Raining Men" and many more. A Kansas City premiere. 816-842-9999 or AHTKC.com.